Tag: WWII

At the Heart of It All: A Wartime Childhood in Limpsfield Chart

Posted on by thewordbird in History, WW2 in Oxted & Limpsfield

This personal wartime memoir by Robert Douglas Peckett, originally shared as part of the BBC’s People’s War project, offers a unique and vivid insight into life in Limpsfield Chart, a small village nestled under the North Downs on the Surrey–Kent border. Though remote and rural, the village found itself at the heart of the war effort due to its strategic position directly in line with France, London, and key RAF airfields such as Biggin Hill, Redhill, and Kenley.

Robert’s recollections paint a detailed picture of wartime Britain from the eyes of a child—where barrage balloons hovered above the village common, German and Italian POW camps lay hidden in nearby woods, and military convoys rumbled past on their way to Dover. With local dignitaries like Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Field Marshal Viscount Slim living nearby, and the skies filled with Hurricanes and Mustangs, Limpsfield Chart was anything but a quiet backwater.

This account brings to life not just the dangers and disruption of war, but also the remarkable resilience, curiosity, and community spirit that defined the Home Front—complete with air raid shelters, Home Guard rifle ranges, and an unforgettable VE Day parade led by a Canadian pipe and drum band. It is a heartfelt and valuable window into how global conflict shaped even the most rural corners of Britain.

Continue reading “At the Heart of It All: A Wartime Childhood in Limpsfield Chart” →

A Boy’s War: Two Evacuees’ Memories of Oxted & Limpsfield

Posted on by thewordbird in History, WW2 in Oxted & Limpsfield

Did you know that entire schools were evacuated from London to Oxted during the Second World War and Limpsfield Common was used for tank training exercises ahead of the D-Day landings?

When war loomed in 1939, thousands of children were evacuated from cities to the relative safety of the countryside—a moment etched in the memory of a generation. For Anthony Collins and Ken Clark, the first of September marked the beginning of a journey that would take them from south London to the quiet lanes of Oxted and Limpsfield in Surrey. Unlike the often-portrayed tearful toddlers with name tags, Ken and Anthony were part of the lesser-remembered wave of older schoolchildren—independent, observant, and full of curiosity.

In the run up to VE Day, 8 May and Surrey Day on 10 May, we’ll be running some fascinating accounts that depict life in wartime Oxted & Limpsfield… We hope you enjoy them.

Continue reading “A Boy’s War: Two Evacuees’ Memories of Oxted & Limpsfield” →

Nursing on the Frontline: Wartime Memories from Oxted & Limpsfield Cottage Hospital

Posted on by thewordbird in History, WW2 in Oxted & Limpsfield

On August 18th, 1940—later known as The Hardest Day of the Battle of Britain—17-year-old probationer nurse J.H. Allen (née Banks) was just 18 days into her first posting at Oxted and Limpsfield Cottage Hospital when the sky above Surrey erupted into combat. She watched as a German Dornier and a British Hurricane clashed overhead, their fates sealed above Titsey Hill and Hurst Green. What followed was a vivid baptism into wartime nursing that would shape her early adult life and remain etched in memory forever.

In this deeply personal and richly detailed account, Allen recalls the extraordinary experiences of nursing during one of Britain’s most perilous times—treating Dunkirk survivors, civilian air raid casualties, and even a captured German pilot who offered her his Iron Cross and a chilling warning of gas attacks to come. Life at the hospital, nestled at the foot of the North Downs, brought moments of quiet heroism, close calls during bombing raids, and even a chance encounter with King George VI as he reviewed troops before their departure.

Continue reading “Nursing on the Frontline: Wartime Memories from Oxted & Limpsfield Cottage Hospital” →